Multiple camera support

LUMOplay's camera seaming tool allows you to connect multiple cameras to your computer and combine their inputs to make a large area interactive.

This article will teach you how to configure your seamed camera system.

NOTE: Camera Seaming is a feature that is under active development, and is recommended for advanced users and professional audio-visual system installers. Installations using this feature may require additional paid support. We recommend ordering a remote calibration session if you plan to use this feature.

1- Requirements

You will need a paid LUMOplay subscription to use this feature.

Camera seaming requires a more powerful computer than normal.  An Intel i7 (or equivalent) CPU is recommended.  Make sure the computer also has good airflow to avoid possible heat damage.  Fanless mini desktops are not recommended.

In addition to the computer, you will need at least 2 Orbbec Astra and/or Intel RealSense D400-series cameras connected to your computer.  Microsoft Kinect does not allow more than one device to be connected to a single computer, so they cannot be used with the camera seaming.

We recommend having a second monitor connected to your computer to align the cameras. This monitor can be removed once calibration is complete.

2- Enable camera seaming

Camera seaming is enabled in the Preferences > Advanced:

Check the "Enable Camera Seaming" option on the advanced preferences screen.

3- Using your seamed camera

Choose 'Calibrate' from LUMOplay's dropdown menu. As long as you have at least two supported devices connected to your computer, you will see "Seamed Depth Camera" as a new option when choosing your camera in the calibration system.

Select "Seamed Depth Camera" and click "Next."

4- Aligning the cameras

After selecting the Seamed Depth Camera, the next step in the calibration is to align the cameras on a canvas. The first thing you will see is the empty seaming canvas:

To add your cameras, click on the button in the upper-left.  Select a device from the list and click the button to add it to the canvas.

Once all the cameras have been added you should see something like this. Note that some cameras may be stacked on top of each other. This is normal.

Click on the button on the toolbar to show the alignment helper image on the projector.  This image shows a series of colored shapes and textures to make aligning the cameras easier.

The seaming alignment helper's base graphic

Using the mouse, click-and-drag each camera's feed on the canvas. You can use the arrows in each corner to rotate the camera feed, and the arrows along each edge to resize the feed.

NOTE: do not resize the camera feeds more than necessary. If you find they are too small to easily see if they are lined up, use the zoom slider on the toolbar. Scaling the camera feeds up too much can negatively impact performance.

Once you have aligned the cameras, your seaming canvas should look something like this:

If you are satisfied with the alignment, click the Next button.

5- Masking

The next step in calibrating LUMOplay is to mask the projection area.  Use the flip buttons to make sure the circle is in the upper-left corner of the image, and adjust the blue corner pin circles so that the projection area is outlined.

6- Final adjustments

Calibrate your system according to the usual recommendations.

Once everything is working to your satisfaction, click Next to capture the reference image, and click Finish.

Questions? Contact us!